Antimicrobial peptides are humoral innate immune components of molluscs that provide protection against pathogenic microorganisms. Among these, histone-H2A-derived antimicrobial peptides are known to actively participate in host defense responses of molluscs. Present study deals with identification of putative antimicrobial sequences from the histone-H2A of back-water oyster Crassostrea madrase...

Antimicrobial peptides are among the repertoire of host innate immune defenses. In mucosal immunity, the health-disease balance can be greatly modulated by the interplay between host immune factors and colonized microflora. Microbial ecology within dental plaque is constantly shaped by environmental factors present within the oral cavity. Several antimicrobial peptides are detected in saliva an...

The effect of C-terminal amidation on the antimicrobial and hemolytic activities of antimicrobial peptides was studied using three cationic peptides which form amphiphilic α-helices when bound to membranes. The natural antimicrobial peptide PGLa, the designermade antibiotic MSI-103, and the cell-penetrating “model amphipathic peptide” (MAP) are all amidated in their original forms, and their bi...

Starting from the premise that a wealth of potentially biologically active peptides may lurk within proteins, we describe here a methodology to identify putative antimicrobial peptides encrypted in protein sequences. Candidate peptides were identified using a new screening procedure based on physicochemical criteria to reveal matching peptides within protein databases. Fifteen such peptides, al...

Antimicrobial peptides are innate host defense molecules that have a direct effect on bacteria, fungi and enveloped viruses. They are found in evolutionarily diverse species ranging from prokaryotes and plants to invertebrate and vertebrate animals. Humans express several families of antimicrobial peptides in myeloid cells and on various epithelial surfaces where they are poised to defend again...

Lysosomal cathepsin G from human neutrophils is a chymotrypsin-like protease which also possesses antimicrobial activity. The antimicrobial activity, however, is independent of protease activity, because treatment of this enzyme with the irreversible serine protease inhibitor diisopropylfluorophosphate has no effect on its antimicrobial action. In this study, we found that digestion of cathepsi...

Antimicrobial peptides are diverse and evolutionarily ancient molecules produced by all living organisms. Peptides belonging to the cathelicidin and defensin gene families exhibit an immune strategy as they defend against infection by inhibiting microbial survival, and modify hosts through triggering tissue-specific defense and repair events. A variety of processes have evolved in microbes to e...